


whatever a sun will always sing is you

by strangencounters



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: 5 Times, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-22 01:19:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13753224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangencounters/pseuds/strangencounters
Summary: five times that Tessa doubts, and the one time she's certain





	whatever a sun will always sing is you

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from "i carry your heart with me" by e.e. cummings.  
> Chapter title is from Come What May.
> 
> you can find me on tumblr at your--obedient--servant if you want to listen to me cry about figure skating!  
> I appreciate any and all feedback and critique!

The first time she sees him, Tessa knows there’s no way this will work. For one, he’s a _boy_. And he’s already in grade 4. He hangs out with those stupid hockey boys anyways. This whole thing is pointless.

At their mothers’ insistence, they try anyways. Their first attempt only confirms what she already knew. He barely even looks at her as the coach, his aunt, tries to get them on the ice together. The second try isn’t much better. They grab each others’ hand and push off, but his skate bumps into hers and sends them both tumbling down in a tangled pile. He sits up before groaning loudly and flopping back onto the ice, and Tessa can’t help but giggle at the theatrics. For the first time, he meets her eyes and cracks a grin as he stands back up.

The coach seems to take this eye contact as progress, and Tessa can’t help but think that _maybe_ there’s a chance for this to work. Her hopes are short-lived, however, as some dumb hockey guys take that moment to enter the arena behind the boards.

“Hey Scott, you gonna come practice with us or keep skating with your new girlfriend?” one calls out.

Scott’s cheeks go red, but he looks to his mom in the stands pleadingly. She sighs and looks back.

“Scott, you just got started. You have to finish this lesson.”

His annoyance is evident and he leans on the boards to bargain with her. Tessa, meanwhile, finally gets the chance to observe her new maybe-partner without him catching her staring. As she looks him up and down, she realizes he isn’t that much taller than her, which makes her feel like they’re on more even ground. She tries to remember everything her mom told her about him: he’s two years older, his whole family skates, and his aunt thinks they’d be a good match for ice dancing. That same aunt is currently staring at them, as Scott gives up his argument and skates back over to Tessa.

“Let’s just get this over with,” he grumbles, making Tessa roll her eyes.

“Fine, but you’d better not trip me this time,” she retorts. For Scott, this is apparently a major hit to his ego, and he tries to appear offended but his grin gives him away. Before they know it, they’re dissolving into giggles and all the tension of the morning melts away. This time, when he takes her hand to skate, there’s a natural ease to it. The sweaty palms and awkward glances fade into small grins and the scrape of blades on ice.

Tessa can’t deny the freedom she feels with him. They pick up speed, and she feels like she’s floating. They move seamlessly from one hold to another and smile as they glide across the ice.

And then she trips. It’s like deja vu as they tumble to the ice once again, except this time there’s a breathless giggle when they make eye contact.

“You made us fall that time! That was all you!” he shouts.

“Well, now we’re even!”

Even his aunt is laughing at the childish display of smiles and pointed fingers. Scott once again groans overdramatically as he picks himself up and offers her a hand to help her up. She blushes as she takes it, even though she’s basically been holding it this whole time. There’s something different about it now that it isn’t choreographed. Tessa isn’t quite sure what she’s feeling but she’s pretty sure she likes it.

The coach breaks them out of their trance and brings them back to reality. She gives them some instructions, then lets them take a quick break before they give it another go.

“Just a few more tries and we’ll call it quits,” Scott’s mom tells him, anticipating his antsy questions. Much to her surprise, he barely even acknowledges her.

“Wha-? Oh, okay,”

Instead, his focus is on Tessa as he launches into some animated story about a prank he pulled on his brothers. Tessa is hanging onto his every word and her laughs only seem to encourage him.  
Their moms share a slightly surprised look at the newfound friends in front of them. They’d expected the awkward beginning, they’d hoped for the partnership to work. Neither of them, however, had foreseen the ease and grace with which the two kids had skated, or the friendship that seemed to be forming.

Tessa and Scott take the ice again for one more attempt at getting it right. They go into a dance hold, and finally, _finally_ , it all clicks into place. They even manage to look into each other’s eyes as they glide hand in hand.

When they come to a close, they're both grinning ear-to-ear as they high-five and take in the moment. Both their moms and Scott’s aunt are clapping for them. No one realizes it in the moment, but this short audition is the start of all the programs and costumes, the practice and competitions, the love and heartbreak.

 _Maybe this wasn’t such a waste of time_ , Tessa thinks.


End file.
